Silf waved me away as he struggled to his feet. I jogged towards Hala, who stood with Mrak and Hrash. The three didn't wait for me to reach them before they turned to guide me towards whatever it was that they considered to be of particular interest. As soon as I stepped into the sparse grove, though, I didn't need their guidance or information. I could smell the faint hint of keelish that so frequently passed through here. They were strong, strong for keelish at least. Initially, I couldn't say why or how I knew it, and slowed myself down and paid better attention.
As I dismissed much of my instincts for logic, the first thing that occurred to me was that the markings left were high, a bit over five feet off the ground. Thinking back, only Rulac, Took, Treel, and others as impressively large like them would have marked trees so high while still keelish. The others wouldn't have reached above their heads to leave a marking most wouldn't see. Therefore, they should be tall, larger than most keelish I'd ever seen. That paired with the slightest variation in scent let me know that there were several of these same sized creatures here.
Also notable, though, were parallel markings on the same trees, just about three feet down from the higher ones. These would be at the same height as the weakest, least evolved keelish I'd seen. Was that to warn those smallest ones to come submit? Or was there some other purpose? Because, if the swarm I was about to subjugate was sending signals to others to bow down, then that would probably serve me well in my next efforts to continue to gather every keelish in the Shandise under my banner.
Regardless, I didn't need specifics at this time, just to follow the markings and find the keelish to bring under my banner. I looked around, seeing that the rest of my expeditionary pack was approaching. Silf was slower, though it was obvious he was only taking some time to recover to full strength. All things considered, I'd taken the most enduring wounds from our little fight, and my cracked ribs didn't matter to me with [Pain Tolerance]. Brutus's wounds were already scabbing over, a testament to his prodigious Vitality.
"Keep your senses open and ready." I commanded. "We're in the territory of our new allies, though they don't know it yet. Silf, I only see that there are tall and short keelish in the swarm, according to the markings on these trees. Do you have anything else to add?"
His eyes hadn't stopped darting around as soon as we'd set foot into the grove, and he flared his frills. "There are shorter ones, but going off the size, shape, and depth of the tracks, I don't think that the shorter ones are that much lighter than the taller ones. Their footprints, as well, are differently shaped. Their toes are wider and they lack the claws that all the subterranean keelish have. Instead, they're longer and thinner, almost like those on your hands."
"Great. Anyone else have anything to offer?"
"There doesn't seem to be any magical remnants here." Farahlia offered after a moment. "Does anyone feel or see signs of magical manipulation of any kind?"
Hala, Solia, and I clacked our teeth, not feeling anything magical either. Silf added, "I don't feel any either, though my senses for that aren't as sharp as Foire's."
"Doesn't guarantee that they're nonmagical, but it's a good observation. Anything else?"
Their eyes continued to evaluate everything around us, but nobody had anything else. "Then we'll get moving. Silf, we follow your lead."
After giving the command, I allowed the pack to fall in around me. I still disliked the idea of being protected, but I realized that was a remnant of my human and khatif sides. My pride as Zak'Tal enjoyed the importance that provided me, and I knew that they'd lay their lives down for me. At least, I only doubted Farahlia's willingness to self-sacrifice.
Silf evaluated the tracks and markings for just a moment before turning and gesturing the direction for us to go. He jogged off, his snout to the ground and his eyes peeled. The senses he'd developed for tracking were on full display, and little things that the rest of us considered of interest or possible paths to follow were immediately disregarded by the Sik'Tal. With it being his expertise, I did nothing more than speak with [Innervating Address] to bolster us all, though it was largely unnecessary. We'd spent a small part of the day journeying, and then the rest of the morning enjoying our first time in the salty waters of the ocean.
The hours passed by, the suns descending and casting a slightly orange glow as they approached the western horizon. Even so, several hours remained before true darkness came close, and Silf motioned to us that he was relatively sure that keelish were nearby. With that information, I turned to Farahlia.
"This is why you're here, right? Do what you think is best." I commanded without giving any indication of my own expectations. The female, for a moment, quailed under my expectations. Then, she squared her shoulders and strode forward without another word. I felt her magic subtly wash over me, calming my heart and alleviating whatever nerves appeared. I quickly realized, though, that any effects on me were mere byproducts of her true goal.
Farahlia, as she stalked forward, emanated an air of authority, that she was to be obeyed and worshipped. How I understood it to be as much was a surprise to me, given that it'd been somehow shaped to affect only those outside of my pack. Perhaps due to my race or position? I didn't know, and further exploration of what my limitations would be and could become were something to conduct at a different time. For now, I need only follow forward as Farahlia gestured for Hala, Mrak, and Greel to walk beside her. They looked to me for confirmation and I waved them on as Farahlia spread her influence further. She sashayed with a confident twist of her hips, and I thought I could hear the sparse groves we walked through go silent.
Before long, we either stepped into a place where the keelish already were, or, more likely, Farahila drew attention to us.
"Who goes there? Reveal thyselves!" A voice called in what I instinctively knew to be a form of archaic keelish dialect. Maybe closer to the original Keel tongue?
"I am she called Farahlia, a khatif under the command of the New Empire we establish. Behold, we come with a true successor of our Empire!" Farahlia responded. "Present us to your Alpha that we may enlighten you and yours as to our divine purpose."
The keelish that'd called out stepped out from behind a larger tree nearby, though how I hadn't seen him was off-putting. He was stocky and relatively tall for a keelish, broad shoulders and thick scales covering him. Though no refined weapons were in his hands, he carried a fist-sized stone and hefted it.
"I cannot say that a foreign force will be given direct access to the Alpha, but I can permit thee passage. Even so, given thine stature, thou mayest expect to be received without the utmost cordiality. For that, I must request thine patience with the roughness of reception. Is that acceptable to you, visitor Farahlia?"
"For now, if it is necessary." Farahlia breezed past him. "Now guide us to your burrow, if you may. There is much to speak with your leader about."
The guard chuckled and I bristled. "I mean no disrespect, cousins. I simply forget the… uncivilized nature of our inland fellows. You shall see that you will happily follow our esteemed Alpha."
I didn't need to ask what he'd meant by that as we stepped out of the treeline and saw where his people lived.